Intermediate musical instrument between violina and viola

ABSTRACT

A stringed instrument adapted to be played with a bow has a case formed by a front and rear sounding board interconnected by a frame and carrying a string-anchoring neck. Each board is formed with a plurality of similar and concentric endless grooves having a common axis of symmetry lying on the boards&#39;&#39; longitudinal axes and groups of substantially circular concentric endless grooves centered on acoustic points. A pair of resonance bars having notched edges are glued to the inside of the front sounding board, one of the bar being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the front sounding board and parallel to the transverse axis of symmetry and the other being oblique to the longitudinal axis.

United States Patent Delu [54] INTERMEDIATE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT BETWEEN VIOLINA AND VIOLA [72] Inventor: Ion Delu, Chitila Padure, Romania [73] Assignee: Complexul Pentru Pielucrarea Lemnului Reghin, Reghin, Romania [22] Filed: Oct. 23, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 83,466

[52] US. Cl 84/274 [51] Int. Cl. ..Gl0d 1/02 [58] Field of Search ..84/274-276, 290, 84/291, 294

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 496,397 5/1893 Clopton ..84/275 X 1,413,916 4/1922 Kincannon ..84/275 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 3,665 2/ 1908 Great Britain ..84/276 [451 Aug. 1,1972

Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-John F. Gonzales Attorney-Karl F. Ross [5 7] ABSTRACT A stringed instrument adapted to be played with a bow has a case formed by a front and rear sounding board interconnected by a frame and carrying a stringanchoring neck. Each board is formed with a plurality of similar and concentric endless grooves having a common axis of symmetry lying on the boards longitudinal axes and groups of substantially circular concentric endless grooves centered on acoustic points. A pair of resonance bars having notched edges are glued to the inside of the front sounding board, one of the bar being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the front sounding board and parallel to the transverse axis of symmetry and the other being oblique to the longitudinal axis.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEmus" 1 I912 Ion Delu INVENTOR.

INTERMEDIATE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT BETWEEN VIOLINA AND VIOLA FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a musical stringed instrument played with a bow and which emits sounds having a timbre intermediate between that of a violin and that of a viola, corresponding to the interpretation characteristics of the second harmonic part of the quartet and the stringed orchestra.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Classical musical stringed instruments such as the violin, viola and violincello are intended to produce sounds of different musical pitches and timbres for performing different harmonic parts. From these different instruments various combinations, such as the quartet and stringed orchestra, can be set up.

The sonorous pitch difference and timbre between the classical instruments which constitute the quartet and the stringed orchestra are evident in the case of the first violin playing the first harmonic part, versus the viola on the third harmonic part, and the violincello on the fourth harmonic part. But this difference is nonexistent between the violin, called first violin on the first harmonic part and the violin called second violin on the second harmonic part, because these violins are not two different instruments with different sonority and timbre characteristics, but rather two identical instruments.

The use in the quartet and the stringed orchestra of two identical instruments for two different harmonic parts does not allow for the production of sounds with different sonority and timbre characteristics peculiar to two'different harmonic parts, a fact which is disadvantageously reflected in the harmony and timbre of the sounds emitted by the instruments making the quartet and the string orchestra.

Because of the above the so-called string quartet is a quartet because there are four instruments, but from the point of view of musical timbre it is a trio: violin, viola, and violincello.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The stringed musical instrument adapted to be played with a bow, according to the present invention, comprises a resonance case formed by a front sounding board provided with two f-shaped sound holes, a rear sounding board, and a frame glued between the boards. A string-holder is attached to the case with four strings stretched over a bridge and extending along the neck of the instrument provided with a fingerboard itself extending over the front sounding board and with four pegs for anchoring and tuning the strings. A pin pressed between the boards maintains the outwardly bowed or bellied configuration and helps to eliminate the drawbacks pointed out above, thus producing sounds with a sonorous nuance between that produced by the violin and those produced by the viola. According to other features of the present invention each sounding board is provided as well with concentric roughened surfaces or endless grooves centered on the boards longitudinal axis and also with roughened surfaces or endless grooves disposed around certain acoustic points situated on the board. Two resonance bars are glued together on the inside part of the front sounding board and are provided on the glued side with grooves or notches where no gluing occurs. One of the bars is disposed parallel to the transverse symmetrical axis of the front board (through the centers of the f-openings) and the other is oblique to the boards longitudinal axis. The new instrument, according to the invention, enriches the color of the musical timbres and is perfectly integrated into the family of classical stringed instruments, forming a real quartet; it is characterized by the fact that it is built in such a manner that it obtains sounds of the second harmonic function, intermediate between the violin and the viola, and that it can be utilized by violinists in the same way as the so-called second violin but, because of physical elements it emits sounds corresponding to the harmonic timbres intermediate between the violin and the viola.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description, reference being made to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the instrument;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the instrument;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the rear sounding board;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a resonance bar; and

FIG. 5 is a cross section through the resonance case showing the resonance bars.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION The musical instrument according to this invention consists of a resonance case 1 formed by a front sounding board 2 provided with two f-shaped sound holes a and b, a rear sounding board 3, and a frame 4 glued to the two boards. A string-holder 5 is attached to the frame 4 and carries four strings 6 stretched over a bridge 7. A neck 8 provided with a fingerboard 9 extending over the sounding board 2 is fixed to the case 1 and carries at the head of the instrument four pegs 10 for anchoring and tuning the strings 6.

Each of the sounding boards 2 and 3 has roughened surfaces or endless grooves c, concentrically disposed to the longitudinal symmetrical axis A of the board and several groups of roughened surfaces or endless grooves a disposed around certain acoustic points situated upon the board in various vibration zones. Two crenellation resonance bars 11 and 12 are glued to the inner face of the front sounding board 2 and are provided at their contact surface with notches e and f, where no gluing takes place. The resonance bar 11 is oblique to the longitudinal symmetrical axis A of the board and the resonance bar 12 is perpendicular thereto and parallel to the transverse symmetrical axis. A resonance pin 13 is pressed between the sounding boards 2 and 3.

Compared to the existing musical instruments, this invention has the advantage of enriching the colors of the sounds produced for the second harmonic part by the musical combinations of the quartet and stringed orchestra, by providing a new instrument of the classical type which fills the gap between the timbers of the sounds emitted by the violin and the viola.

I claim:

a bridge mounted on said front sounding board;

a neck mounted on said case and carrying a plurality of pegs;

a plurality of strings extending between said stringholder and said pegs and spanned over said bridge; and

a pair of resonance bars having notched edges glued to said front sounding board, one of said bars being oblique to the longitudinal axis of said front sounding board and the other being parallel to the transverse symmetrical axis thereof. 

1. A stringed instrument adapted to be played with a bow and comprising: a case formed by an elongated front sounding board formed with two f-shaped sound holes and parallel thereto an elongated rear sounding board interconnected by a frame, each of said boards being formed with a plurality of similar endless grooves having a common axis of symmetry coaxial to said boards and a plurality of groups of concentric endless grooves centered on acoustic points; a resonance pin extending between said boards; a string holder mounted on said front sounding board; a bridge mouNted on said front sounding board; a neck mounted on said case and carrying a plurality of pegs; a plurality of strings extending between said string-holder and said pegs and spanned over said bridge; and a pair of resonance bars having notched edges glued to said front sounding board, one of said bars being oblique to the longitudinal axis of said front sounding board and the other being parallel to the transverse symmetrical axis thereof. 